Luxury automakers are taking a larger piece of the overall auto market over the years. Many of these brands are seeing record sales numbers and producing more vehicles that appeal to the masses. Hyundai has clearly taken not of this and wanted to stake their own share in the luxury market. So the most reasonable thing to do would be to take a page out of Toyota’s book and spin off their own luxury brand, as the latter did when they created Lexus in the 1980s. Starting out, these new luxury vehicles already use the same architecture as those already in the parent company’s portfolio.

This is how Genesis was born. In the first few years of business for Genesis, there was not much fanfare around the brand given that they only offered two sedans, both of which were essentially carbon copies of what were previously offered under the Hyundai moniker. But now that genesis has updated and expanded its portfolio, things have changed. This is in part due to the GV80, which is Genesis’ largest offered SUV. This vehicle has shown what Genesis is actually capable of, and it is genuinely impressive. The GV80 gives an ultra-premium vibe at a reasonable price for a luxury SUV of this caliber.

Here are all the features that make us fall in love with the 2022 Genesis GV80.

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The 2022 Genesis GV80: Technology Masked In Luxury

The 2022 Genesis GV80's Interior
via Genesis

These are some vehicles these days that may be a technological wonder but fall short in the luxury category, yet they are still marketed as a luxury vehicle. The GV80 does an exceptional job at mixing a great deal of technologically advanced features while still being coated in a plush layer of luxury. This could be in part because the head designer for Genesis is Luc Donckerwolke who, prior to his time with Genesis, was the design director at the Volkswagen Group, meaning that he played a part in the designs of their luxury brands such as Bentley. Surely a highly applauded designer such as him would not let technology be the sole focus of an important luxury SUV like the GV80. It also may explain why the GV80 is a spitting image of the Bentley Bentayga which was designed when Donckerwolke was still with Volkswagen.

But we are not complaining if the GV80 looks similar to the Bentayga because the Bentley is stunning and its proportions and design cues look equally good on the Genesis. But behind that attractive oversized chrome grille, there is still enough technology to keep up with the best. The digital gauge cluster offers an optional three-dimensional display which, to the driver, makes it look as if some information is appearing in layers or in front of other information. Other than this you have a key fob that allows you to move the car forward and backward all remotely. Technology features such as these have not penetrated the luxury segment yet and the GV80 seems to want to stay ahead of the curve with unique technology appointments all while still maintaining the composure of a true luxury SUV.

Related: Here's How The 2021 Genesis GV80 Cost Compares With Its Competition

The 2022 Genesis GV80: Splitting The Difference In Size Brings More Practicality

Silver Genesis GV80
Genesis

The Genesis GV80 is not a small SUV by any means due to the fact that it is 195 inches in length. This makes it larger than a compact luxury crossover, but falls short in size when compared to a full-size luxury SUV like the Mercedes-Benz GLS or BMW X7. But the GV80 still combines the best out of both segments. Full-size luxury SUVs can be a little unwieldy to drive sometimes, but the smaller GV80 has proportions that give it a commanding presence on the road while still handling smoothly and more car-like. More compact luxury crossovers make sacrifices in terms of space, but the GV80 provides just a little more room so that it can be configured in either five or seven-seat configurations, which gives the flexibility that many owners currently want.

Genesis was also able to combine practicality with power in the GV80. This luxury SUV doesn’t need a large V8 to give sufficient power because its standard turbo four-cylinder engine still delivers 300 horsepower. Some older V8s on the market have a hard time getting to or surpassing the 300-horsepower mark. This base engine gives the GV80 commendable gas mileage, with 21 in the city and 25 miles per gallon on the highway.

The Genesis GV80 could be described as the “Goldilocks” of luxury SUVs because of its positioning in the market. It gives enough space for almost anything that you would need, while still not being an absolute behemoth on the road. It gives you all the modern technology that one has come to expect from a luxury vehicle, but it does not sacrifice luxury for it. Overall, features like this are the core of what makes a luxury vehicle a stalwart today, and the 2022 Genesis GV80 simply checks all these boxes.